White Sox non-tender catcher Tyler Flowers, pitcher Jacob Turner
The Chicago White Sox are moving on from catcher Tyler Flowers as they non-tendered the veteran along with RHP Jacob Turner. The move makes both players free agents.
The White Sox claimed Jacob Turner from the Chicago Cubs off of waivers on October 27th. The team did however tender contracts to outfielder Avisail Garcia, as well as pitchers Nate Jones, Zach Putnam and Daniel Webb. These players were also eligible for arbitration. The White Sox 40-man roster sits at 36 players after Wednesday’s moves.
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A week after signing catcher Alex Avila to a one-year $2.5 million contract, the White Sox decided it was time to explore other options for a starting catcher by declining to tender Flowers. This was the third year Flowers was eligible for arbitration and he was expected to make $3.5 million according to mlbtraderumors.com. Although Flowers has been regarded as one of the better pitch framers in the MLB, his offense hasn’t been one of his better attributes. Last season Flowers hit .239 with nine home runs and 39 RBI in 112 games.
Flowers was acquired in 2008 from the Atlanta Braves along with Brent Lillibridge in exchange for Javier Vazquez. The 29-year old didn’t become a full-time starter until 2013 and hit .223 over seven seasons with the White Sox. With the lack of free agent catchers, the White Sox will most likely have to make a trade to find a solid starting catcher.
Internal options include catcher Rob Brantly and Kevan Smith. Both players played for the team’s Triple-A affiliate the Charlotte Knights last season. Brantly was a September call-up and hit .242 in 14 games for the White Sox. The Winter Meetings will start on December 6th, and it seems like general manager Rick Hahn will have some work to do in order to find a starting catcher.